Mother Nature can be less than runner-friendly. But given a choice between staying cooped up all year or braving the elements every now and again, runners are going to tough it out.

21. Isn't it too hot?

Not with sophisticated hydration systems like this one.

20. Isn't it too cold?

Winter running: It's like running at the beach, only instead of sand, you run through snow. And ice. And hail. Actually, it's not like running at the beach at all.

19. Isn't it too windy?

Wind? What wind?

18. You run in the rain?

If running through a torrential downpour doesn't sound like your thing, well, you'll never know unless you try. Who knows—you might just find that puddle-jumping is the most fun you have all day. But wear good socks. Trust us.

17. Do you really need more shoes?

Laugh all you want--this is one purchase we know we're going to get use out of.

16. Why would you need so many running shoes?

Okay, so we REALLY like rain runs.

15. Running is fun?

Are your non-running friends surprised to find that running could be fun? After all, there's no TV, no tablet, no texting. Just you, your running route, and this weird thing called nature.

14. Don't you get lost?

Some of us have developed finely tuned navigational skills, some invest in high-tech GPS watches, and some of us--well, we'll just say we take the scenic route.

13. Do you need a ride?

Although it never hurts to ask, don't be surprised if we pass--chances are that we're out there on purpose.

12. What are you doing?

...Look, it's not weird. Okay, it's a little weird, but we don't care. Once you've been injured, you'll do anything to make sure that it doesn't happen again.

11. Is running safe at your age?

We're not saying that it's easy. The longer we run, the more we have to make smart choices. But experienced runners have more perspective and more knowledge--not to mention more stories--than anyone else out there. So you might as well forget asking them if they should run: If you want to get a new take on running, ask them how they run.

10. Isn't it unhealthy to run so much?

Running has been shown to improve the health of everything from your heart to your brain. We'll take our chances.

9. What about your knees?

Don't ask me about my knees.

8. So your knees do hurt?

We said, don't ask about our knees.

7. How do you hurt yourself running?

You'd be surprised. But luckily, many injuries are just a bump in the road (or the result of one). Most of us are back after a little time off, rehab, or cross training.

6. What is cross training?

What they picture when you tell your non-running friends you went for a water jog.

5. How far is your marathon?

No matter how much we love you, if you tell us "Almost there!" and we have 20 miles to go, we're going to have a problem. For the record, a marathon is 26.2 miles.

4. Do you get bored?

Okay, maybe we don't look as happy as this guy. But we're smiling on the inside.

3. Did you win?

Probably not. But that's not the point.

2. Why pay so much to run a race?

Same reason some people pay $3.50 for coffee. We like it.

Guaranteed to Fail

Here's a tip for non-runners looking to break the ice with the runner they've been eyeing: "Running" and "jogging" might be synonyms in the dictionary, but to us, there's a vital difference. Using the word "jogging" is a guaranteed fail.

Advertising helps us deliver great running information and advice

Enter your email or disable your ad blocker to access all content on

Are you sure you want to log out?

If you are the only person using this device,
there’s no need to log out. Just exit this page
and you won’t have to sign in again. But if
you’re on a public or shared computer, log out
to keep your account secure.